Can opener



Jan. 29, 1929. 1,700,463

W. M. ANDERSON CAN OPENER Filed July 21, 1927 'anoanio v 3% GIVWIYWMY attoumuro Patented Jan. 29, 1929.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM M. ANDERSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CAN OPENER.

Application filed July 21,

This invention relates to can openers and particularly to certain improvements upon the can opener disclosed by my co-pending application, Serial No. 191,? 87, filed May 16, 1927. n

An object of the invention is to provide a can opener corresponding to that disclosed in said co-pending application as regards accomplishment of the cutting stroke by a down-thrust of the handle, and to additionally provide an element exteriorly engageable with the side of the can to maintain the cutting blade in proper proximity to the can rim.

Another object is to provide a can opener with a fulcrum member engageable with the rim portion of a can and to form integral with said fulcrum member a guide element adapted to project exteriorly of the can below the top margin thereof to maintain the cutting blade at a proper distance from said margin.

A further object is to associate with the stamped cutting blade of a can opener a stamped fulcrum member for said blade and to form said blade with a shoulder engageable by the fulcrum member to reinforce the latter against bending.

These and various other objects the invention attains by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan View of a can opener embodying the improved construction.

Figure 2 is a View of the same in side elevation indicating two limiting positions of use of the tool.

Figure 3 is a detail view of the blank from which the blade of the can opener is formed.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the can opener blade, the shank to which said blade is secured, and the associated fulcrum and guide member.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional View of the tool taken upon the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of a can engaged by the cut ting blade of the tool showing the engagement with the can wall of a guide member carried by said blade and working within the can. Said section being taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2.

In these views the reference character 1 designates a handle of any suitable construction in the end portion of which is axially inserted. a shank 2 comprising apair of 1927. Serial No. 207,386.

jacent strips of metal which shank has one end portion riveted or otherwise suitably secured within the handle as indicated at 3. The other end port-ions of the bars forming said shank are spread apart as is best seen in Figure 1, and between said bars is inserted one end portion of a blade 4 which is riveted in place as indicated at 5. The working portion of said blade which projects beyond the bars 2 is curved downwardly through an arc of approximately thirty degrees, the cutting edge of such blade being uppermost and the end portion of the blade being bent laterally as indicated at 6, to form a guide lug for interior engagement with the wall of the can upon which the tool is operating.

The outer end portions 7 of the shank-forming bars 2 are bent oppositely at right angles to said shank and inclined slightly toward the point of the blade from top to bottom of said end portions, as best seen in Figure 2. To said end portions is rigidly secured by rivets 8 or other suitable means a plate 9 combining the function of a fulcrummember for the tool and a guide element therefor. Said plate which is preferably stamped from sheet metal has a beveled. lower edge 10 which is adapted to seat upon the marginal head of the can top so that the tool may pivot upon said edge as it is rocked between its limiting operating positions shown in Figure 2. For guiding the tool in its cutting travel around the margin of a can, the plate 9 is formed integrally with a depending lug 11 adapted to project downwardly adjacent to the exterior side face of the can thus restraining-the blade from undue travel away from the marginal bead. Preferably the blade 4 is passed centrally through the plate 9, the latter being formed with a central slot 12 to accommodate said blade. It is further preferable to form the blade 4 upon its lower edge with a slight Vertical shoulder 13 against which the plate 9 bears to reinforce said plate against bending under working stresses.

In the use of said tool, the top of the can to be opened is first pierced by the pointed free end of the blade, preferably by subjecting the handle to a slight blow, after the blade point has been properly positioned upon the can top. After fully inserting the cutting portion of the blade in the can, the tool is rocked upon the fulcrum established by the edge 10, from the position indicated in dash lines in Figure 2 to that shown in full lines in. said figure; During thisnaivement the sharpened upper edge of the blade 4 outs upwardly through the can top adjacent to the rim thereof forming a slot extending somewhat less than the length of the blade. The projection 6 during the described cutting stroke bears against the interior face of the can wall guiding the blade and preventing the latter from cutting through rather than parallel to the rim of the can, and the lug 11 restrains the blade from travel away from the can rim. The cutting stroke of the blade is limited by engagement of the projection 6 with the can top, complete withdrawal and the consequent trouble of reinserting said blade in the can being thus avoided. As the described cutting stroke progresses it is desirable that the fulcrum plate 9 shift outwardly upon the can rim so as to maintain the curvature of the cut in parallelism with the can rim. The stress acting downwardly upon the fulcrum member 9 during the cutting stroke exercises a tendency to automatically effect the desired outwardly shifting of said member 9 due to inclining the seating edge 10 of said member slightly upward from the guide lug 11 to the other extremity of said edge. Thus the down pressure transmitted through said edge to the head of the can during the cutting stroke tends to some extent to slide the tool outward with respect to the circumference of the can.

By forming the fulcrum member 9 and the guide element 11 as a single sheet metal stamping, the production cost of the disclosed tool is considerably reduced as compared to can-openers having separately formed fulcrum members and guide elements. It is to be noted that the blade is so proportioned both as regards its length and depth from its upper cutting edge that it can be efiiciently operated in opening cans of any standard shape or size. Furthermore said tool is adaptable to open cans with or without a marginal rim or bead. Withdrawal of the blade froma can after completion of a cutting operation is readily accomplished despite the projection 6 by giving the tool a ninety degree turn downwardly from the engaged can edge, said projection being thus brought to a vertical position in which it accommodates itself to the narrow slot which the blade has formed in the can top.

WVhile it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiment of my invention herein disclosed is well calculated to adequately fulfill the objects and advantages primarily stated, it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. A can opener comprising a handle, a blade terminally carried by said handle, a fulcrum member mounted on said blade and apertured for passage of said blade, said fulcrum member having a lug extending downwardly at one-side of the blade for exterior guiding engagement with the wall of a can, and a lug carried by the free end of the blade, for interior engagement with a can wall, projecting from that side of the blade at which IElie guide lug is carried by the fulcrum mem- 2. A can opener comprising a handle, a two-part shank projecting from said handle, the parts of said shank being oppositely bent at their free ends, a cutting blade having a rear portion embraced between the parts of said shank, and a fulcrum plate mounted upon the bent ends of said shank and depending below said blade for pivotal engagement with the rim of a can, said plate having a depending guiding projection at one side of said 

